Brian Fisher

Peter Ortiz, Domingo Candelas, Omar Torres

San Jose Members – Council Members Back Premier Recycling Teamsters 853 Members

We cannot do it alone. Cities and towns that support unions aren’t simply willed into being. Working and living in a city that supports unions is the result of vocal members of the community and body politic.

We, as Teamsters 853 members, have to be aware of the politics in our cities and towns and then actively vote for elected officials that support union workplaces.

In the case of San Jose, Teamsters Local 853 would like to acknowledge three city council members who have been recent standouts for supporting our members’ causes. They have worked to bring and maintain fair and equitable employment to the people who work and live in San Jose.

San Jose City Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who represents District 5

San Jose City Councilmember Omar Torres, who represents District 3

San Jose City Councilmember Domingo Candelas, who represents District 8

All three of these council members showed up at our Strike at Premier Recycle and also penned a letter to the owners of Premier Recycle expressing support for the workers there. Premier Recycle has benefited from many San Jose city contracts, so the influence on their business from these council members is considerable.

Thank you, Councilmembers Ortiz, Torres, and Candelas, for your support. You have our backs, and come election time; San Jose Teamsters will have yours!!

Below is the letter these council members wrote to the owners of Premier Recycle.

San Jose Members – Council Members Back Premier Recycling Teamsters 853 Members Read More »

UPS NorCal Contract Negotiations Update for May 13th

The NorCal Committee met this week in Oakland California and concluded the seventh week of supplemental negotiations. The 15 locals covering a geographic area from as far south as Bakersfield California, up north to Eureka California, and spanning east to west from the Bay Area to the far reaches of Northern Nevada. We collectively represent over 15,000 strong UPS Teamsters; Teamsters who have reached out in droves this week with words of encouragement asking this body to keep fighting and standing strong for their member driven proposals and to maintain the amazing protections that they already have.

The Company continues to bring forth unacceptable proposals and has made it clear to this committee that they are not interested in moving the process forward or resolving the issues that they have created over the last 5 years. These unresolved issues continue to be the grievance procedure, pay issues, the protection of hours, and holidays. The Company holds hostage proposals that we can fundamentally agree to, by packaging them with proposals that are detrimental to our members. We have asked to bargain each proposal individually and are met with the words of, “the package is the package”.

The Company has made it clear that they will not move forward unless we tentatively agree to their “package deal”. General President Sean O’Brien and General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman have made it clear that while National Negotiations has officially begun, if the Company cannot come to find common ground and finish our Supplemental Negotiations they can and will shut down talks with the Company in D.C. We appreciate the continued support from the General President and General Secretary Treasurer and will keep working hard to get across the finish line for our members in Northern California and Nevada.

The Committee is scheduled to continue negotiations with the Company Monday, May 15th, in Oakland, California.

UPS NorCal Contract Negotiations Update for May 13th Read More »

Premier Recycle Members on Strike

Can you spare time to show up and support your fellow members on their strike?

After voting to unionize a year ago, Premier Recycle drivers’ negotiations have been met with stall tactics, their safety and grievance concerns remain ignored, there is unwarranted surveillance, and a general environment of hostility to these drivers. So today, they start their strike.

And we are asking you to help. Show up and support their picket line. If you are in the South Bay today, stop by and give them your time and your support.

Watch this space for updates.

Where and When:

Premier Recycle
348 Phelan Ave.
San Jose, CA
Starts May 10th
Anytime after 3am

Premier Recycle Members on Strike Read More »

Greif in Morgan Hill Ratifies New Contract with best Pay Raise they have Ever Seen

Greif in Morgan Hill ratified a very strong new three-year contract with the best pay raises they have ever seen.

“We pushed negotiations to the limit; the committee stood strong with a wealth of knowledge.” Said Vice-President Ray Torres.
“These members received the highest wage increase they’ve ever seen, maintained their Health & Wellfare, and new bid language that our members will all benefit from.”

These members did a great job sticking together and negotiating smartly and aggressively—way to go Teamsters 853 members at Greif.

Greif in Morgan Hill Ratifies New Contract with best Pay Raise they have Ever Seen Read More »

In a Hard fought battle, PFG Drivers in Gilroy gave a lot worse then they got and prevailed. They voted to Unionize!!

“Performance Food Group didn’t pull any punches against their drivers. They hired union busters, intimidated and threatened drivers, and terminated employees.” Said Ray Torres, Vice President of Teamsters Local 853. “But in the end, these drivers understood the value of sticking together and successfully voted to unionize. We now look forward to getting these drivers the contract they deserve.”

Teamsters Local 853 has strategically focused on Performance Food Groups as they are the second largest food delivery company in the United States, only behind Sysco.

The leadership of Teamsters Local 853 has been closely following and supporting these efforts along with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. There are many more PFG workers who could benefit greatly from unionizing, and Teamsters Local 853 is on the march to secure those workers’ jobs.

“PFG workers were determined to win representation with Local 853. They were united from the start and only grew stronger as their campaign progressed,” said Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. “PFG workers are part of a growing movement for workers in the warehouse industry. They stood strong and fought back against this anti-union employer and won big. This victory shows that when workers stick together and take a stand, there’s nothing they can’t accomplish.”

Congratulations to all of the PFG drivers who voted to take control of their future.

In a Hard fought battle, PFG Drivers in Gilroy gave a lot worse then they got and prevailed. They voted to Unionize!! Read More »

ABF members at Local 853 are ready for the fight! Read the contract update here.

The Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee met last week with ABF Freight to continue negotiations for a new national agreement to succeed the ABF NMFA which expires on June 30.
Progress was made on a number of supplements. At the national table, the parties discussed significant issues including the union’s objection to any inward facing cameras and in-cab monitoring and the union’s objection to the use of autonomous equipment. The union also presented its initial economic proposals to the company. The parties are meeting again this week in Kansas City to continue negotiations.

Read the Official Letter

ABF members at Local 853 are ready for the fight! Read the contract update here. Read More »

Three Premier Recycler members in San Jose who stood up to testify to the San Jose City Council on wage theft.

Sisters and Brothers,

For the entire time you will be a Teamsters 853 member, you will hear from the leadership to get involved with your union. We throw out slogans like “We are stronger together”, and “Strength in numbers”.

But what does it really mean to get involved with the Teamsters 853 union? What can one member do to help. And how does that effort translate into helping our members or working women and men in general?

Three new members make a huge impact.

This is the story of Three Premier Recycler members in San Jose who stood up to testify to the San Jose City Council on wage theft. Their testimony contributed to convincing several council members to aggressively and publically stand up to Premier Recycle and advocate specifically for the workers and their contract.

Roughly a year ago, Premier Recycle workers in San Jose voted to unionize their workplace as Teamster 853 members. For the past year, Premier Recycle has employed standard union-busting tactics to stall a Union contract from moving forward. The longer they stall, the better it is for them.

So recently, Teamster 853 members Alex Obeso, Ramon Castillo, and Mike Flores from Premier Recycle, along with Business Agent Jesse Casqueiro and Vice President Ray Torres, took the opportunity to make statements to the San Jose City Council on wage theft in their industry.

Around the same time, a letter was written on behalf of three of the San Jose city council members to the company that owns Premier Recycle. This excerpt sums up the tone of the letter.

“We are well acquainted with the strategies you are all implementing to intimidate your workers from organizing and ensuring a quality workplace. We have heard concerns of safety & wage theft claims, falsification of votes, unwarranted surveillance and a general environment of hostility, division and divisiveness among other unfair labor practices.
Let it be known that we take jeopardizing the wellbeing of working families as a personal issue. The resilience and strength of San José is built upon the labor of the working-class. This is an understanding that many of our Council colleagues share. ”

San Jose Councilmember, Peter Ortiz

Read the whole letter from three San Jose council members to the owners of Premier Recycle.

This is the power of participation of just three members of Teamsters Local 853, who stepped up and decided to get involved. Their actions resulted in securing strong allies in government who will advocate for workers everywhere. 

So when you say, “I’m just one member of Teamsters Local 853, what can I do?” We say a lot!!! Now you know just one way members can change things for the better.

There are also simple ways to get involved in your union.

Teamsters are stronger together. Get involved in your Union, and make a difference!

Teamsters Local 853

Three Premier Recycler members in San Jose who stood up to testify to the San Jose City Council on wage theft. Read More »